Although the chances are miniscule that it will actually impact you, the prospect of a medication recall can be a worrisome prospect. No one wants to think of something that is supposed to be a health benefit actually being harmful. Thankfully, government agencies in the United States and elsewhere have made the process of checking for medication recalls fairly simple. The best practices for medication safety include checking regularly for recalls, confirming that your specific medication is actually under recall, and (if so) responding accordingly under the guidance of your health care provider.

Steps

Part 1

Checking for Recalls

1

Go to https://www.recalls.gov/ in the U.S. In response to consumer demand for a streamlined process, a diverse array of American government agencies have joined forces to establish a “one-stop shopping” website for product recalls, including for medications. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees medication safety in the U.S., is a member of this cooperative.

On the home screen, you will find a list of tabs along the top. Clicking the “Medicine” tab will lead you to the FDA page on the site, from which you can go on to http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ (which you can also access directly). Once there, you can check a list of current medication recalls.

You also have the option to sign up (with your email address) to the FDA Recall Subscription List or for FDA Free Email Updates. These options mean you will be alerted automatically to new medication recalls.

2

Follow a similar process in other nations. Every national government has its own policies and procedures regarding medication recalls, of course; however, the odds are increasingly good that your home government maintains an accessible online listing of current recalls. Other English-speaking nations with recall websites include, for instance:

Check the news. However you consume your news — TV, online, newspapers, etc. — product recalls are often prominent items of interest. Local television newscasts in the U.S., for instance, seem to always have at least one mention of some sort of toy, food, medication, or other recall. If you are not on the FDA notification list, this may be the most likely way that you will find out about a recall.

News reports are only a first step, though. Always confirm the details of a recall at the FDA (or other equivalent) website. Never “jump the gun” and alter your medication regimen based on a brief news report.

4

Compare your medication to the recall details. If you see the name of one of your medications on the recall list, investigate further to determine if your specific medication is indeed under recall. Recall press releases should contain information regarding the lot number, product code, expiration date, or other identifying information that will let you know if your specific bottle of aspirin (for example) is being recalled.[1]

If Lot #12345 of Acme Aspirin is under recall, and your bottle is from Lot #56789, your medication should be safe to continue using. You can, if you desire, confirm this information with your pharmacist, physician, or the drug manufacturer.

5

Become familiar with the recall process. While medication recalls are generally straightforward and easy to grasp, it can never hurt to better understand how a recall notice takes shape. In the U.S., recalls are usually initiated by the drug manufacturers, but the FDA can request (or in more limited instances, order) a recall by the manufacturer as well.[2]

Medications can be recalled for a host of reasons, but the most common causes include the product being: a potential health hazard; mislabeled or poorly packaged; possibly contaminated; misidentified (that is, the wrong thing is in the package); or poorly manufactured.

Some recalls are due to serious health concerns. For instance, medications containing the drug PPA were recalled in 2000 because of an increased risk of bleeding in the brain, and the weight-loss drug Meridia was recalled in 2010 because of an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.[3]

That said, most recalls are made out of an abundance of caution, and involve concerns like a minor mislabeling error that is not overly likely to cause harm. When you hear there is a recall on a medication you take, don't panic. Instead, find out the details of the recall and follow the instructions given, and contact your doctor or pharmacist as warranted.[4]

Part 2

Responding to a Recall

1

Stop taking recalled over-the-counter (OTC) medications immediately. If your aspirin, cough medicine, antacids, etc. have not been prescribed by a doctor and are under recall, do not delay in stopping their use. Stop the medication, then contact your pharmacist or physician for more information and possible alternate medication options.[5]

To be clear, if you take aspirin for an occasional headache, it functions as an OTC medication that should be stopped immediately if under recall. If you take a daily low-dose aspirin as advised by your doctor, it functions as a prescribed medication and should not be immediately stopped without contacting your doctor first.

2

Contact your physician immediately regarding recalled prescription medications. Recall or not, you should never stop taking a prescribed medication without first contacting your physician. Stopping a prescribed medication, especially “cold turkey,” can have serious health consequences, both in the absence of that medication and in altered interactions with other medications you may be taking.[6]

Do not delay in contacting your doctor once you find out your prescription medication is recalled, but also do not stop taking your regular dosing of the medication until you receive new instructions. Your physician will likely provide a course of action for stopping the use of the recalled drug (possibly over a period of time) and replacing it with an alternative.

3

Return or properly dispose of recalled medications. Usually, you can return a recalled medication to the place of purchase and receive a refund for your purchase price. The recall notice will normally provide information to this effect. If this is not possible for you, or you are not interested in a refund, you can take the medication to a nearby pharmacy for proper disposal.[7]

Do not simply throw away recalled medications, or flush them down the toilet. Some medications can be rendered inert by mixing them with coffee grounds, and then be thrown away, but the best option is to take the medication to a pharmacy for disposal.

Part 3

Weighing Further Action

1

Determine if you have been injured and want to pursue legal action. Any time there is a major medication recall, it is a good bet that someone, somewhere is going to be sued. Even if you are not the litigious type, you should strongly consider your legal options if you are confident that a recalled medication has caused you an injury — for instance, one of the negative, unexpected side effects that triggered the recall.[8]

While there are unique aspects when medications are involved, your legal options usually involve filing suit for a “defective product liability claim.” In order to win such claims, you must prove these three things in a court of law:

You were injured.

The product (medication) was defective or improperly marketed.

This defect or improper marketing caused your injury.

2

Identify your liability claims and potential defendants. Once you have determined that a recalled medication caused you harm and you want to file a lawsuit, you need to clarify the type(s) of liability claim(s) you intend to make. You can contend that: the drug was defectively manufactured (for instance, tainted during manufacturing); the drug had dangerous side effects (that were not adequately communicated to you); and/or that the drug was improperly marketed (that is, the instructions, warnings, or list of side effects were defective or incomplete).[9]

You also need to start considering which party or parties should be the target of your lawsuit, based upon the nature of the defect and your injury. Common parties to defective medication lawsuits include: the manufacturer; the laboratory that tested the product; the pharmaceutical sales representative that promoted the product to your doctor; the prescribing physician; and the hospital, clinic, or pharmacy that was part of the “chain of distribution.”

3

Hire an attorney. Suing a giant drug manufacturer, with its army of attorneys, is not typically a wise move to make alone. Many attorneys specialize particularly on medication liability claims, and can provide you with critical advice moving forward.[10]

Almost invariably, if a recalled medication has caused numerous injuries, a class action lawsuit will be filed. Essentially, large numbers of injured parties band together into one lawsuit against the parties they deem responsible. You can choose to join the class action suit, or you can continue to pursue legal action on your own. This is one of many instances where an experienced attorney will prove invaluable.